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NCAAB Picks

NCAA Basketball Picks Bet Duke -5.5 vs. Notre Dame

The Blue Devils look for a sixth straight win when they
travel to South Bend to play the Fighting Irish. Let's take a look at the NCAA basketball betting odds to see where the true value lies in this ACC affair.

Odds Overview

After opening at a line of 4.5 or so, the spread can now be
found at a number as high as 6, though most sportsbooks are offering up 5.5.
The Blue Devils are obviously the favorite here.

If you're thinking a total play is the way to go, you're
going to have to wait a little bit longer to find the O/U. Both teams are scoring
over 80 points per game so far this season, so there's good reason to expect a
high total.

Duke Blue Devils

After losing to the now number one Arizona Wildcats, the
Blue Devils have gotten right back on track with five straight double-digit
wins.

It's not like Duke has been playing weak competition either.
They've topped both Michigan (79-69) and UCLA (80-63) over the past month,
cashing as sizable favorites in each victory.

We last saw Coach K's squad in action on December 31st
against Elon, a game which the Blue Devils won 86-48. Duke shot 48.5 percent
overall and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from beyond the arc, though they had a lot
of trouble at the line (12-of-23 for 52.2 percent).

Jabari Parker made quick work of Elon, scoring 12 points
with 10 rebounds and three steals in only 23 minutes. Four other Blue Devils
scored in double figures, including Rasheed Sulaimon off the bench.

The Blue Devils continue to impress on both sides of the
ball. They're averaging 85.2 points per game on 50.2 percent shooting overall
and 41.1 percent from three, while allowing 68.8 points per game on 43.9
percent shooting and 27.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The loss of Jerian Grant is a killer, we all know that, so
fellow guard Eric Atkins has to keep picking up the slack to keep Notre Dame
afloat.

Atkins did just that in the Fighting Irish's recent 87-81
overtime win over Canisius. He hit six threes and finished with 30 points and
seven assists while playing all 45 minutes.

Garrick Sherman had 17 points and 10 rebounds, with Zach
Auguste being the only other member of Notre Dame who reached double figures.
The Fighting Irish out-rebounded their opponents by 11 and got the job done
(81.0 percent) at the charity stripe.

It is a tad worrying that Notre Dame needed an extra period
to dispatch the Golden Griffins. They could be in for a long afternoon against
the Blue Devils, regardless of the fact they'll be in front of a rabid fanbase. This could scare bettors away considering the NCAA basketball odds.

So far Notre Dame has gone 8-2 SU at home, with their two
defeats coming to Indiana State (70-83) and North Dakota State (69-73).

The Fighting Irish didn't look at all convincing in their
first game without Grant. They needed an outstanding shooting performance from
Atkins to get past Canisius, but the whole team is going to have to step up if
they want to avoid a beatdown by Duke.

The Blue Devils simply have a lot more offensive firepower
and that should be enough in itself to carry them past the hosts. Today we like
them to cover against a Notre Dame team that's a miserable 1-6-1 ATS at home
this season.